Rare good news for Thomson

Suspended Labor MP Craig Thomson has had rare good news with the Australian Electoral Commission finding he did not break campaign laws when he used almost $270,000 of union funds to win his seat in 2007.

In a report released yesterday, the AEC said all but $17,000 was properly accounted for or did not need to be disclosed because it was spent before he was officially a candidate.

But the report did not exonerate Mr Thomson because it was limited to examining election reporting requirements and not whether he was allowed to spend the money.

The report came as senior minister Simon Crean said Mr Thomson should not be preselected again for his seat unless he was cleared.

He also said “harder questions should have been asked” when Labor re-endorsed Mr Thomson for his seat in 2010 after the allegations surfaced in April 2009.

However, it is understood the focus of party chiefs at the time was on replacing controversial MP Belinda Neal in a neighbouring seat.

Fair Work Australia found Mr Thomson misused almost $500,000 of union funds on prostitutes, hospitality, electioneering and cash advances while at the Health Services Union.

For his bid to win Dobell in 2007, the union paid $196,420 for two staff to boost Mr Thomson’s profile plus $71,300 for his campaign.

But the AEC took issue with just over $17,000 from four payments: $4827 to set up Mr Thomson’s campaign office, $7410 on pamphlets, $1278 for a campaign bus and a $3500 donation to the local ALP.

The AEC said he did not have to disclose these amounts because they were under the $10,500 disclosure threshold but it asked the NSW ALP and HSU if they were included in their AEC returns.

Mr Thomson, who will address Parliament for 30 minutes on Monday to proclaim his innocence, used Twitter to say the AEC had discredited the FWA report.

But shadow special minister of State Bronwyn Bishop said the key question FWA raised – that Mr Thomson unilaterally approved spending union funds on his campaign – was unanswered.

The Opposition has demanded Labor “disown” Mr Thomson’s vote but shadow treasurer Joe Hockey indicated it would accept it if he voted in favour of a motion of no-confidence in the Government.

“That would be a moment of clarity for Mr Thomson that would be very hard to refuse,” he said.

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